Replacing the wax ring seal on a toilet?

Question

There are some old toilets at church that leak around the base when flushed. I plan to replace the wax ring seals but have never done it before. The hold-down bolts are very rusty of course, so I've soaked them in penetrating oil, but I'm still afraid they will break off. They should be replaced anyway. Are they replacable? Is there another part I need other than the seal? Is there some sort of adapter between the sewer line and the toilet?

Answer 1

It's not a complicated job, but it can be messy. First you need to shut off the water supply. Then flush and hold the handle down until water stops running out of the tank. Get some rubber gloves, a bucket and a big sponge. Use the sponge to sop up the reamining water in the bowl and tank.
Then unhook the water supply. Take off the mounting bolts and lift off the toilet.

Now the really nasty part. Scrape off ALL the old wax from the bottom of the toilet and the drain flange. The flange should have slots in the sides where the bolts go, and should be flush with the flooring. If it's not you'll need more parts. If the flange is cracked it will need to be replaced.

You can buy new wax rings with new bolts included. I put the new ring directly on the flange. Then put the bolts in the flange so they stand up straight. The tricky part is getting the toilet back on. Try to line everything up so the bolts come through the base of the toilet and you start compressing the wax all in one shot. If you mangle the wax to much shifting things around it will leak. Once the bolts come through keep pushing down on the toilet with a gentle rocking motion. Once it feels firm, sit on it. Be careful tightening the nuts. If you over tighten you can crack the base of the toilet. Make them snug, and tighten more after it's settled. Reconnect the water supply, turn the water back on and give it a test flush.

If it doesn't leak you're done. I suggest you take one apart before you go shopping to see what you need. If one has a bad flange, chances are the others will too. Just keep the receipts. You can easily return extra parts. Good Luck.

Answer 2

Part of your rent payment is towards problems just like you stated. Inform the landlord and have them fix it. Be nice, at first as they are use to these problems and may or may not fix them. CYA before you fix it. You can replace it yourself but it will take some effort. First tell the landlord that sine they won't fix the problem you are going to replace the seal. Then go from there. First purchase a wax ring and two hold-down bolts. The come extra long so you can cut them to length. Then turn off the water to the tank, flush and make sure the tank is not being filled. If so then the valve is worn out and it needs to be replaced before you tear into the rest of it. May be time to call the plumber and then send the bill to the landlord..... Next remove the covers over the two bolts that hold the commode down. Remove the nuts..... like the other answer said, you may have to cut the bolts off. Once the bolts are out remove any water still left in the tank and disconnect the water line going to it. Decide where you are going to sit the commode while you clean everything up. Cover that spot with newspaper. Sponge out the water that is still in the commode. Lift the commode and tank up off the floor and sit it out of the way. Clean up any residue that dripped on the floor. Stuff an old towel into the drain hole to stop any sewer gases from coming into the room. Make sure it doesn't get lost. You could use newspaper for this. Remove the two old bolts measure their length before discarding. If the ring that they fit into is rusted beyond use you will have to replace it..... fast trip back to the store. Using a putty knife remove what is left of the old was ring. Install the new bolt ring if needed followed by the new wax ring. Cut the two new bolts to length and insert in the hold down ring. Clean off any wax still on the bottom of the commode. Be careful doing this as the commode can break very easy if dropped even an inch or so. Sit the commode back onto the wax ring lining up with the two bolts. Press down on the commode and wiggle it back a forth to get a good seal. Add the bolt nuts, tighten, and then sit the cover back over the bolts. Plumbers putty used in the covers will help keep them from falling off. Just fill then press over the bolts Reconnect the water line and turn it on to fill the tank. You did remove the towel or paper before you sit the commode back in place, right???? LOL Hope that helps. Of course, after you get the commode off you will most likely find that the whole area is rotten out and will require new sub floor, tile, etc etc etc which will have to be fixed. How easy will it be to break your lease......

Answer 3

The wax seal and new bolts should be all you need. Check the package on the wax seal. Many are now including new bolts. I know Kant-leak seals do. If the current flange is below the tile level, purchase a flange extender to bring it up. These can be bought at most Home Centers.

Answer 4

The bolts are replaceable. They slip into slots in the drain connection flange. Depending on how long they have been there, you may need more parts. You'll have to disconnect the water lines so you can lift and remove the entire comode. Sometimes you cannot reuse those connections. Otherwise the wax ring is all that you should need.

Answer 5

You won't know the whole picture until you get the toilets ripped out, but you will need a new wax seal and possibly a new flange for each toilet. the flange will come with the tie down bolts so no need to purchase those sperately. You may need a long neck extension with the toilets if they were installed upon tile or some other high surface, so I would suggest that you pull one toilet out first and then purchase the products you need unless you want to buy both sets of rings and then return the one that you didn't use.

Answer 6

Yes, the bolts are replaceable and should be replaced. You shouldn't need anything else besides the wax ring. If you find that you need an adapter, they're readily available at most hardware stores.

Answer 7

while the answers provided were OK, the potential for problems increase as the # of toilets does. i would suggest you have an idea where to turn off the water and maybe do so at the house main because i can see that most of the previous experts have left this most important step out

Answer 8

If bolts are really rusty, you might need a hack saw to cut them off. Yes you can replace them.

Answer 9

Go to the web site DIY, to help you out. It's not to hard. Just wash you hands after doing it,lol..